SPRINGFIELD – A 23-year-old city man who allegedly shot another man in the leg during an argument in the Upper Hill neighborhood Tuesday night, was ordered held without right to bail pending a dangerousness hearing during his arraignment Wednesday.

McKenzie denied charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm, assault and battery and improper storage of a firearm during his arraignment in District Court.

The dangerousness hearing was set for Aug. 4, court documents state.

The purpose of a dangerousness hearing is to determine if a defendant poses a safety threat if released on bail while awaiting trial. Prosecutors typically request such a hearing if a defendant is the subject of a restraining order, has a criminal record, or is accused of a serious felony crime such as assault, manslaughter or murder, among other offenses.

A judge typically makes a determination after prosecutors present their case for holding a defendant for the 90-day period.

Officers, responding to a report of shots fired in front of 174 Massachusetts Ave., found the 24-year-old victim suffering from a single gunshot wound to the leg, Delaney, public information officer for the department, said.

The officers provided first aid and determined that a suspect named “Chris” had just shot the victim following a verbal and physical altercation that broke out because of a fight that the victim had the day before with his own girlfriend.

The Tuesday night fight began when the suspect, with a .45 cal. Ruger on his belt, pulled up to that address in a blue Chevrolet Malibu and confronted the victim.

A friend of the victim intervened, began to beat up the suspect and grabbed the handgun. The suspect then went back to the Malibu, grabbed a second handgun, shot the victim in the leg and then drove away.

Officers Tony Sowers and Ahmad Sharif then left the scene to respond to a report of a disturbance near 143 Eastern Ave. Once there, they spotted the blue Malibu with the suspect inside.

The officers found a Smith & Wesson .45 cal. handgun and box of .45 cal. bullets inside the car. A witness to the Massachusetts Avenue shooting positively identified the suspect as the shooter and the two guns and ammunition were confiscated.